The blog of the thirty-something fag- April Edition 2007
April 29th 2007
Happy Birthday Nubes!! Today is the $%th birthday of my sister Nubes!
Happy Birthday Nubi! YAY! I hope you have a fantastic day with many great birthday presents!
Nubi is shown here on a recent visit from Falls Church Virginia standing on our deck, and demonstrating the dramatic flair of our San Gabriel mountain view. Thank you Nubi, you can sit down now.
Now about ME! Yesterday I rode up into the mountains with my friend Alan to a place we call "The Calendar Ride". It's a little park aside from a stream that filters out from the cogswell dam. While the AIDS/Lifecycle group is doing a 2-day double century ride to Santa Barbra- I decided to stay in the L.A. area and climb some friggin hills.(This is where I leave out the part that I would have LOVED to go to Santa Barbra but I got closed out of the registration AGAIN!)
About the Calendar ride. The stream is about 3 miles long, and the path alongside of it is absolutely beautiful.
(Start the Disney background music . and . . . GO!) Set inside a deep canyon, the sunlight filters down through the birch trees so pretty, it's truly like riding in one of those nature calendars. Just gorgeous. We went to our favorite camprground 15 miles from here for lunch- then we rode UP Glendora mtn Rd(it almost killed me) and then down the other side for a whopping total of 60 friggin miles!
Yeeha! It's now Sunday Morning and I'm STILL tired!
Werkin I've taken a temp/freelance job with RPA this week and next, Helping out with some web work. It's always fun and interesting to get out of the house and into the agency work. It's probably a good idea, because certain events in my life lately would prove to be quite a difficult distraction. It's best at time like these to keep myself busy.
Excuse me for being vague, I know I'm not typically squeamish when it comes to sharing on this blog, but some times some things are just too personal. Besides, I've tried and tried to figure out how to make recent events at least SOUND funny, and I just can't seem to make it happen. So, with that being said- rather than write paragraphs and pararaphs proclaiming the simple concept: "I'm Sad", I'll just write that I'm busy, and let that be the end of it.
I hope YOU are having a wonderful week, and I 'll write more when I have better things to report.
Go for a ride? I was bummed this weekend because I didn't get on my bike at all. Social obligations and the imbibing that follows prevented me from getting a good start on my day- so I spent Saturday and Sunday at home, napping or eating.
Today I did the short-stack ride with 2 ALC newbies and we did 20 miles in a perfect 2 hours. Not bad. These two want to go out again on Thursday as well, so we're on for that. I have another newbie ride buddy- Bob, who wants to go out Thursday p.m., and Alan and I made tenative plans for Saturday to do a 90 mile loop up Angeles Crest highway(uphill for 2-3 hours).
Top that off with a previously scheduled 70 mile ride down to Seal beach for lunch, and your looking at a week with over 200 miles in it on this Calfee Luna Pro. How's that for "Making up for lost time" in the saddle?
In all the years I've been doing the AIDSRIDE and the AIDS/Lifecycle, I have never missed the annual "Day on the Ride" outing, where new riders get to experience what a typical day on the ride is like.
So imagine my surprise when I went to register for this event and found it closed out. What?? Closed out?
I called my Cycle buddy(or the person I choose to CALL my cycle buddy) and asked her "How do I get my oh-so-very-important non-plussed ass under this rope?"
"You don't" was her response. "Sorry Dude"
I was stunned. I'm a Training Ride Leader for Christ's sake!
She wasn't having it.
Apparently, DEADLINES have become an important tool in safety (who the Frack said that??) and no slack will be cut what-so-ever.
Taxes done and delivered I did my taxes online ia Turbo Tax, same as I do every year. I hope you got your's done and it was painless.
Go an email from Wally today- seems he had to put his beloved Poquito down last month. So sad. He wrote to introduce the newest memeber of his family- her name is Ella, and she's adorable.
Friday the 13th, or My Lucky Day
Yesterday we had a wind storm, that took trees down and caused a power outage that lasted all afternoon, from 2 p.m. on. I had my powerbook on battery power for a while but that went dead too, so I did the only thing I could do at the time, I napped.
I felt a little bad becaus eI had clients with issue, but there was little I could do with no power, and I had set my week up so I could take Friday off. Friday the 13th was my Father's 80th birthday(Happy Birthday Richard!), I played raquetball at 10 with Jimmy C, had lunch, and headed to the beach for my scheduled lesson. After the lesson I spent some time with my Long Beach friends, and made it home shortly after midnight- it was the PERFECT day off. I plan to make this schedule my weekly routine from now on.
A Day at the Beach My kitesurfing instructor's name was Alex, he was from Barcelona where he owns his own kitesurfing school. He turned out to be the best kitesurfing teacher so far. Patient, knowledgeable, and best of all- his teaching method suited me just fine.
He didn't bore me with things I already knew, but asked me what I wanted to learn, where was I having trouble, and then gave me the pointers to achieve. He was the best.
I've always known I drive my teachers crazy because I'm difficult to teach, but I never really knew why- now I do. the Introductory/preliminary information bores the crap out of me, I want my lessons to get to the point of the learning faster. I learn better that way.
I learned patience, I'm moving too fast because I want to get going. Alex advised me to slow down, take my time, and get home without an injury.
I learned how to control the kite better with just one hand. I had my lines mis-strung for one thing, so keeping her in the air was virtually impossible before, now she behaves herself.
I learned I could shorten my tie-rope(connects my bar to my harness). When the bar is in full depower position I cant reach it to pull it back. Alex game me permission to untie it, shorten the length to suit myself, and tie it back up again.
I learned to keep the kite in the air at a 45 degree angle(safest for recovering from potential problems) and to keep in control of my kite at all times above all else.
I went out with his tips, followed some simple steps, and started kitesurfing immmediately- it was fantastic. I can't wait to get back out there and practice some more, I want to learn to rideout into the harbor, and then bring it back again- I'll be doing that THIS WEEK! Check back- I intend to get pictures this time!
The big thing in my life lately has been the Donor T-shirt Incentive project, the big idea that has become somewhat of a headache since it's inception this year.
I'm collecting orders of "Official Donor" T-shirts from ALC riders, and then making a group order with the sreenprinter to get the cost-per-unit cost down to $5.50. Sounds simple, as long as everyone plays by the rules, but unfortunatly, few do.
I didn't count on the fact that people think I'm a screenprinting business, with a staff, (including a customer service complaint hotline perhaps?) And no one seems to want to participate by the rules("Can't I just send you a personal check? it would be SOOOO much easier for me!")
Insert Audible sigh HERE
I don't want to get jaded, but I was hoping things would go a little smoother than this bounced-check-late-change-order-cancel/uncancel disaster it seems to have become.
So I'm seriously questioning whether or not I would like to make this project available every year for these guys. Simply put- I don't take any service charge or proceed from the project, so it's all in jeapordy. They simply don't pay me enough.
Back in the saddle
I took my chances. it had been a little windly lately so I grabbed my kite, wetsuit and fearless atitude and headed out to Belmont Shore to try and see if I can get my ass out of the water and do that kitesurf thing again.
I still didn't have a leash for my board, and with that, no helmet either, but I went out anyway.
The wind was good, and I had my kite in the air in no time flat.
I took it out into the wtaer, got my board on my feet, and punched it.
I was up in no time, then pulled forward face down, crashed and dragged again. The Long Beach harbor never starts tasting better, it's still as gross as ever.
By the time I got my kite secured into the air again, I was a good 100 feet rom my board, which had floated in another direction (no leash- remember?)
I did what I did in San Diego- I had the kite drag me to the shore, I landed it, secured it and then swam out to get my board.
O.k., when I was 16, swimming 100 yards was nothing- I did it every day, but here, at my advanced age, this was a bitch! Huffing, puffing and straining, by the time I got the board and swam to shore I'd had enough. Smart move because the wind had picked up to a level that I was NOT comfortable with, so I packed it up and went home.
fast forward 2 weeks, we're now into April(this is the month when it all starts up again)- I stopped att he surf shop and got those missing itemms, helmet and leash, and made an appointment for my third lesson. I don't want to go back out there without some support.
In the meantime, I'm watching as many eduactional videos on Youtube that I can find for beginner kitesurfers. They make it look so easy!!
My kitesurfing instructor's name was Alex, he was from Barcelona where he owns his own kitesurfing school. He turned out to be the best kitesurfing teacher so far. Patient, knowledgeable, and best of all- his teaching method suited me just fine.
rmission to untie it, shorten the length to suit myself, and tie it back up again.
The big thing in my life lately has been the 
